Hank Blalock (Rangers), 3B
A third-round pick in 1999, Blalock is hitting the cover off the ball this year. He made history by hitting for the cycle twice in a span of three games in late June with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. According to Sportsticker Boston, the official minor league statistician, Blalock is believed to be the only player in modern history to accomplish such a feat. As of July 2, he was hitting .422 for Tulsa in 11 games after being promoted from Single-A Charlotte, where he was hitting .380. Blalock is hitting a combined .384 this season, raising his career mark to .333. He entered the 2001 season with a career .313 average as a pro.

Joe Borchard (White Sox), OF
The 6-5, 220-pound Borchard was the first pick (12th overall) by the White Sox in last June's First-Year Player Draft. Rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 Prospect in the Sox organization, the former Stanford quarterback is enjoying a fine season at Double-A Birmingham. The powerful switch-hitter leads the Southern League in RBIs (54), ranks second in home runs (15) and third in slugging percentage (.488) through June 27.

Sean Burroughs (Padres), 3B
A first-round draft pick of the Padres in 1998, Burroughs is one of the top hitting prospects in baseball, according to Baseball America. This season the lefty-hitting third baseman is hitting .326 for Class-AAA Portland, despite being sidelined for a month earlier this spring after undergoing knee surgery. This is his second Futures Game appearance -- he was the MVP at last year's game in Atlanta.

Brent Butler (Rockies), 2B
Originally a third-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996, Butler arrived in the Colorado organization as part of the Darryl Kile trade. The Cardinals were reluctant to include him as he had developed into of of their top prospects. That label has stuck with the Rockies. Butler is raking for the Class-AAA Sky Sox, hitting .336 with seven homers and 38 RBIs. "He's just a baseball player. Coaches love him," said assistant general manager Josh Byrnes. "He's still young for his level of play, but he continues to get better."

Scott Chiasson (Cubs), P
Through June, the AA-West Tenn Diamond Jaxx had recorded 18 saves and posted a 1.85 ERA. He was also named to the 2001 Southern League All-Star team. The right-handeder was a acquired by the Cubs as the first overall selection in last December's Rule 5 draft. The Cubs were allowed to keep his rights as part of the Eric Hinske-Miguel Cairo trade. Chiasson was
originally a fifth-round draft pick of the Royals in 1998. He was the shortstop and closer on the Division III national championship club in 1998. He is listed by Baseball America
as the 18th-best prospect in the Cubs' organization.

Nate Cornejo (Tigers), P
A first-round draft pick in 1998, the 21-year-old is one of the top pitching prospects in the organization. This season, Cornejo has been outstanding for the Erie (AA) Seawolves, posting a 10-3 record with a 2.59 ERA in 17 starts. He has allowed 98 hits in 111 innings while throwing three complete games and posting one shutout. Opponents are batting just .234 versus the right-hander, and he has fanned 90 batters while walking only 37. His father, Mardie, spent time as a pitcher for the New York Mets.

Adam Dunn (Reds), LF
This 1998 second-round pick is on the fast track to becoming the Reds minor
league player of the year. The left-handed hitter started the season at Double-A Chattanooga and impressed the organization by hitting .343 with 12 homers, 31 RBIs and 30 runs scored in
39 games. Cincinnati's Director of Player Development Tim Naehring promoted him to Class-AAA-Louisville and Dunn did not disappoint. He has hit .344 with 16 homers, 44 RBIs and 29 runs scored in 39 games. This is his first Futures Game appearance.

Adrian Gonzalez (Marlins), 1B
The overall No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft, Gonzalez is currently with the Kane County A-Midwest League team hitting .346 with 11 home runs and 69 RBIs so far this season. He is adjusting well in the system and has drawn comparisons to fielding and hitting like that of a Mark Grace and Rafael Palmeiro. He hits a lot of doubles and is graceful around the bag and ranks 4th in the Midwest League in batting, is second in the league in
RBI, leads the league in hits and is second in the league in runs scored. This is his first Futures Game appearance.

Chris George (Royals), P
George is 9-3 with a 2.89 ERA this season at Class-AAA Omaha. He has won five consecutive starts and shares the league lead in wins. The left-hander has struck out 76 and walked 46 in 99 2/3 innings. He has allowed 80 hits and has not thrown a wild pitch this season. Last season George was the Royals Minor League Player of the Year after posting a combined 11-7 record with a 3.68 ERA in 26 starts for Double-A Wichita and Triple-A Omaha. He was chosen the top prospect in the Royals organization by Baseball America.

Toby Hall (Devil Rays), Catcher
The Rays' ninth-round draft pick in 1997 ranks among International league leaders in batting average, home runs, RBIs, doubles, hits and slugging percentage for Class-AAA Durham. He was recently named Baseball America's top Triple-A Player in their mid-season update (July 9-22). Hall, who will play in the IL All-Star Game in July, made his Major League debut last season and homered in just his fourth at-bat. He is expected to become the Rays' starting catcher later this season as the Devil Rays continue to focus on developing their young stars.

J.R. House (Pirates), Catcher
The Pirates' fifth-round selection in 1999, House was rated by Baseball America as the organization's top prospect prior to this season. The 21-year-old is coming off an outstanding 2000 campaign with the Class-A Hickory Crawdads in which he led the South Atlantic League with a .348 average and 23 home runs and was named co-MVP despite missing nearly a month with mononucleosis. House was also an outstanding high school football player in West Virginia, setting national scholastic marks for career passing yards and touchdowns in a game. He is currently hitting .272 with seven home runs and 28 RBI as a member of the Double-A Altoona Curve.

Nick Johnson (Yankees), 1B
Yankees GM Brian Cashman called him the top prospect in the organization during Spring Training, and Johnson has backed that up with his play, leading Triple-A Columbus with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs this season. Many think that Johnson may get his shot at the starting first baseman's job with the Yankees next season, as Tino Martinez approaches free agency.
Johnson was a third-round pick in the 1996 draft.

Jason Lane (Astros), LF
A sixth-round pick in the 1999 draft, Lane was a pitcher and DH on USC's national
championship team in 1998, where he was named MVP of the College World Series. The past two years he has been named team MVP as well as a league All-Star. This season Lane is setting the Texas League on fire with Triple Crown-type numbers. The 24 year-old is leading the league in hitting (.347) and RBIs (81) while ranking second in home runs (27), just one shy of leader. In addition, Lane leads the Texas League in hits (105), on-base percentage (.430), slugging percentage (.690), extra-base hits (49), and is second in runs scored (64).

Ryan Ludwick (A's), OF
Ludwick was named to the California League's postseason All-Star team in 2000, his first full season at Single-A Modesto. He was ranked second among all A's minor leaguers with 29 homers and 102 RBIs. Now with Double-A Midland (Texas), Ludwick was ranked second in the Texas League with 75 RBIs and third in homers with 19 through July 1. A left-hander who bats from the right side, Ludwick is from Satellite Beach, Fla., and will be 23 on July 13. He'll play for the U.S. Team.

Brett Myers (Phillies), P
A first-round pick in the June 1999 draft, Myers has flourished in the Phillies farm system. The 6-foot 4-inch right-hander has gone 7-3 this season for double-A Reading. He ranks in the Eastern League's top-ten in wins, shutouts and complete games. The hard-throwing Myers has K'd 61 batters in 87 1/3 inning this season. He is ranked by Baseball America as the Phillies' No. 1 pitching prospect in an organization loaded with young arms.

Nick Neugebauer (Brewers), P
One of the Brewers' top prospects, Neugebauer's name has been mentioned more than once as Milwaukee tries to solve the recent health problems plaguing their starting rotation. Brewers manager Davey Lopes says he does not believe the hard-thrower is yet ready for the Major Leagues, but left open the possibility that he may get the call-up later this season. Neugebauer was 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in three starts at big league Spring Training, but impressed with his plus-fastball and maturity on the mound. In 17 games spanning 85 innings for the Southern League's Huntsville Stars in 2001, Neugebauer is 4-5 with a 3.60 ERA and has struck out a league-best 110 hitters.

Josh Pearce (Cardinals), P
A second-round pick in the 1999 Draft, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Pearce made it to Double-A Arkansas in just his second pro season last year. In 17 starts at Double-A New Haven this year, the hard-throwing Pearce has struck out 91 batters in 106 innings while going 6-8 with a 3.89 ERA for a 27-52 team. His 33 walks allowed is impressive.

Cody Ransom (Giants), SS
Known mostly as a slick fielder, Ransom is making his first appearance on the Giants' 40-man roster with impressive offensive numbers. The 25-year-old is hitting .271 with 13 home runs and leads the Triple-A Fresno squad with 79 hits, 48 RBIs, 47 runs and 12 stolen bases. Ransom was San Francisco's ninth-round selection in 1998.

Rich Stahl (Orioles), P
Stahl, whom Baseball America named the Orioles' second-best
prospect in 2000, has made six relief appearances with the Class-A Frederick Keys this season. He is 1-1 with a 1.95 ERA in 32 1/3 innings. The southpaw, who has walked 15 and struck out 24, was the 18th overall pick in the 1999 draft.

Jamal Strong (Mariners), OF
One of the quickest players in the organization, Strong began the 2001 season at Class-A Wisconsin where he batted .353 with 19 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in 39 attempts. He was promoted to Class-A San Bernardino (Calif.) and has a .398 average with 11 stolen bases in 15 attempts. The center fielder played at Class-A Everett (Wash.) last season, batting .314 in 75 games and stole a club-record 60 bases. Baseball America named him as the fifth-best prospect in the Northwest League.

Billy Sylvester (Braves), P
Regarded as the Braves sixth-best prospect by Baseball America, Sylvester compiled an unbelievable 0.79 ERA while throwing 45 2/3 innings in relief for the Class-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans last year. He has split time between Double-A Greenville and Triple-A Richmond this year. After compiling a 1-0 record with 12 saves and a 2.37 ERA in 30 1/3 innings for Greenville, Sylvester was promoted to Richmond on June 13. At Richmond, Sylvester is 0-1 with one save and 9.82 ERA in 7 1/3 innings.

Dennis Tankersley (Padres), IF
The Padres acquired Tankersley from the Boston Red Sox on June 30, 2000 for infielder Ed Sprague. He was named the No. 12 prospect in the Midwest League by Baseball America after posting a 5-2 record with a 2.85 ERA. He opened the 2001 season in Single-A Lake Elsinore and went 5-1 with a 0.52 ERA in eight starts before being promoted to Double-A Mobile. This will be his first Futures Game appearance.

Chase Utley (Phillies), 2B
The Phillies' top-pick in 2000, Utley has done nothing but live up to the high accolades he garnered at UCLA. The former All-American batted .353 for single-A Batavia in 2000. At Clearwater this season, the second baseman has shown some pop, bashing nine homers and driving in 33, while scoring 33 runs. He has also doubled 15 times and stolen 11 bases. Utley has been named a Florida State League All-Star and is ranked as the fifth-best prospect in the Phillies organization.

Jerome Williams (Giants), RHP
The Giants' sandwich pick (39th overall) in 1999, Williams has advanced into
the starting rotation at Double-A Shreveport despite being only 19 years
old. The hard-throwing Hawaiian is 6-3 with a 5.26 ERA after getting a late
start because of the death of his mother. One Giants official compares him
to a young Doc Gooden, and Baseball America rated him the organization's top
prospect prior to the season.

Jason Young (Rockies), P
Young was a fallback plan -- he was a gift who fell into the Rockies' laps. When he available in the Draft, Colorado didn't hesitate to take one of the top college pitchers in recent years. At Stanford, Young was walked in the tracks of stardom previously laid out by guys like Jack McDowell and Mike Mussina.Young has been everything the Rockies have accepted. Though his large frame makes attention to his motion a must, the right-hander has posted a 6-6 record with a 3.24 ERA, while issuing just 23 walks in 91 2/3 innings.